My dog has been on thyroid medication (0.8 mg/d in two doses daily) for about 2 1/2 years. The vet had not checked his thyroid level since prescribing the medication, so I finally insisted. His T4 level was 5.4 (lab range 1-4). If it has been elevated since he started taking it, could he have suffered any organ damage as a result? We have cut the dose in half and will re-test in 3 weeks, but I am concerned that he's already suffered permanent damage.

Vet should have absolutely checked levels to see where your dog was with that amount of thyroid meds. NO excuse.

If you are concerned, tell your vet you want a full blood workup to check his body functions. Probably no harm has been done, but you deserve to know.

IMO, your vet should eat the cost of that bloodwork as he was not diligent in checking your dogs thyroid levels.

JMO.

MP

quote:

Originally posted by Yooper:
My dog has been on thyroid medication (0.8 mg/d in two doses daily) for about 2 1/2 years. The vet had not checked his thyroid level since prescribing the medication, so I finally insisted. His T4 level was 5.4 (lab range 1-4). If it has been elevated since he started taking it, could he have suffered any organ damage as a result?

I have no idea if he suffered any damage. I just thought I'd mention that my dogs' cardiologist often points out that thyroid supplmentation can cause premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), an arrhythmia that could possibly be fatal.

However, a low or non-functioning thyroid can contribute to a number of different skin/organ/temperament issues, so thyroid supplementation is something of a double-edged sword.